Reflection
by Aiko-Chan SoT
Summary: Brightheart...the always optomistic, never looking at the bad side of life Brightheart. This is the shecat we know, but what about the tragedy that lays beyond the scarred face? This is Brightheart, and only Cloudtail knows her. R&R. May be a tearjerker!


_**Been awhile since I wrote a Warriors story. Well, here's one! Hope you like it! **_

_**I entered this on a contest on my board not long ago. It hasn't been judged yet, but I'm hoping I'll win second place at least. So, R&R!**_

**Summary: **Brightheart...the always optomistic, never looking at the bad side of life Brightheart. This is the she-cat we know, but what about the tragedy that lays beyond the scarred face? This is Brightheart, and only Cloudtail knows her. R&R. May be a tearjerker.

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**Reflection**

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**The rains **soft patter on the ground was the only sound that cool newleaf morning. Everyone remained in the dens, avoiding the harsh weather, but one cat slipped out of the warriors den, her white and ginger pelt sticking against her are the rain fell on her. She glanced up at the dreary sky before she slipped through the bushes, leading to the river. The rain continued to fall, dripping from leaves and tree, forming small puddles on the soft ground, turning it to mud.

His head lifted from the soft moss bed, and he stretched, shivering from the cold that crept into the den. He shifted over, and lifted his head when no warm fur met his. His blue eyes blinked in confusion and sleepiness. Where was she? Blinking sleep from his eyes, he looked around the den. Sleeping bodies of cat layed around him, but her's was not found.

He stood and stretched, careful to not to awaken anyone, and stepped over the sleeping bodies of his friends and fellow warriors. He stuck his head out of the den, feeling the rain dripping from the sky. He looked up at the dreary sky, wondering why in the world she would want to be out with it raining. He slipped out of the den, and tasted the air. Her scent lingered in the air, sweet and unforgettable, and he turned to the bushes. Why was she going to the river? The water hung uncomfortably on his fur, seeping into it and making his skin crawl with cold. He shook his pelt, water flinging into the air. He ignored the numb feeling from the cold water. He followed her scent, all the while wondering where she had went.

Her wonderful scent led him to the river, and when he broke through the bushes, causing water to fall even more to the ground, he saw her. Her white and ginger pelt was fluffed against the cold, and she stared into the water. He paused a moment, concern flickering on his face, before he padded over, no longer aware of the rain that fell around him.

As he sat next to her, she didn't stir. He said nothing, looking into the river at his own reflection. Blue eyes and flattened white fur met his gaze, and he couldn't help but blink in amusement. He looked so strange with his fur plastered against him. Never forgetting his beloved sitting next to him, he looked back. Her face was mauled, pink with flesh where fur would never grow. Scars lined that side of her face, and her ear was ripped clean off. And their was a gorging hole where her eye should've been. But he didn't even flinch. No fear or disgustion flickering in his eyes. To him, she was beautiful. The dog attack had done nothing to cease his love for her.

Finally he spoke, his voice seemed so loud in the silence. "Brightheart? " He paused, and his voice dripped with concern and love. "Is everything okay?" It was as if he hadn't even spoke. She continued staring into the water. Had she not heard him? He opened his mouth again to say the same thing, but that's when Brightheart turned, and he was able to see the uninjuried side of her face. White fur with ginger spots, and a beautiful amber eye. But the emotion in that eye was heartbreaking to him. And he blinked.

"Cloudtail..." she whispered, looking back down at the water. Her voice dripped with sadness and realization, as if she had found something out she had never known. "Cloudtail...How can you love something like me?" The sound of her voice was like a melody on the wind, but as it brung wonder to Cloudtail, it also brung concern and sympathy, as well as anger and disbelief.

"What are you saying?" he said quietly, his gaze never leaving her. How could she question why he loved her? "What is there not to love, Brightheart?" His blue eyes were firm, full of love. Brightheart didn't remove her gaze from her reflection.

"Look at me," she whispered quietly, her voice shaking. "I'm hide-"

"Don't even say it," he interrupted strenly, his eyes soft and honest. "You are _not_. You are beautiful, the most beautiful cat of all. The most beautiful cat in the forest. In the world." She was silent, her eyes still the same heartbreaking depression. Then, she spoke.

"Why would anyone..." She stopped, her voice breaking off. Cloudtail moved closer to her, pressing his wet fur against her wet fur. The rivers water rippled with the rain that was drizzling around them. They were silent, both looking into the water at their own reflection.

"Look.." Brightheart whispered faintly, using her tail to point to the reflection staring back at them. Both sides of her face reflected against the broken water, full of ripples. Cloudtail shook his head, using his own tail to break the picture. He looked at her, and she finally lifted her head and looked back.

"It's only a reflection, nothing more."

Brightheart looked at him, and their eyes met for several moments. Cloudtail felt his heart speed up, and when she looked back at the water, he pressed his head against hers, and they both looked into the water.

"Now look," Cloudtail whispered, pointing back at the reflection. Only the uninjured side of Brightheart's face was shone, and Cloudtail's own white one joined it. An amber eye and a sapphire blue eye stared back at them, both of the same emotion, and, at that time, of the same cat. When they finally pulled apart to look at one another, the reflection remained, staring up at them with mismatched eyes.

Cloudtail never saw the injured side of Brightheart's face. It was never there. All he saw was Brightheart, the cat he loved with everything he had. There was no injury. Not in his eyes. Her blinked at her, his sapphire eyes soft and full of the love he felt for this cat.

"Now do you see?" he whispered.

Brightheart said nothing, and she didn't have to. The reflection rippled beside them, but didn't fade away, and the two cats stared at one another, before Brightheart pressed her muzzle into his shoulder. Cloudtail purred softly. Then, he licked her head a few times with soothing motions, and whispered again.

"You'll always be beautiful to me." And with those words, he found himself an apprentice again, comforting her as she looked at herself for the first time after she awoken from her coma. The same motion, the same words, and the same feeling. The dog attack had done nothing to his feelings for her, only made it stronger.

And the water rippled again, and the reflection disappeared.

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**End of Story**

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_**So, how was it:) I hope it was okay. I want to win that contest. You know how I am. Well, I might just get back to work on that Warriors story, but not until I get one more review! ONE MORE!**_

_**SoT**_


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